Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 7

[ickky]

Started on 2nd October at Watford Employment Tribunal (Radius House, 51 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1HP 01923 281750)

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URGENT CURRENT CASE - Public Access Request - J Phoenix - The Open University - 3322700/2021

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Abbreviations

JP - Jo Phoenix, Claimant (C)
OU - The Open University, Respondent (R)
J - Regional Employment Judge Young
P - Panel or panel member
BC - Ben Cooper KC, Counsel for C
JM - Jane Mulcahy KC, Counsel for R
OU Departments & Networks:
HWSRA - Health & Wellbeing Strategic Research Area
FASS - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SPC - Dept of Social Policy & Criminology
KMi - Knowledge Media Institute
GCRN - Gender Critical Research Network

OU witnesses

PB - Dr Paraskevi Boukli, Former Senior Lecturer Criminology, Deputy Head SPC 2021-22
IF - Prof Ian Fribbance Dean of FASS
MW - Prof Marcia Wilson, Dean EDI, 2020-23
CM - Caragh Molloy, Group People Director 2019-23
LD - Dr Leigh Downes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology (in SPC), Academic Lead for EDI FASS 2019-21
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
KS - Kevin Shakesheff. PVC for Research and Innovation
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21😇
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager

Witness for JP:

SE - Professor Sarah Earle, Head of the HWSRA

Tribunal Tweets - https://twitter.com/tribunaltweets

TT coverage so far - https://tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/professor-jo-phoenix-v-the-open-university

Prof Jo Phoenix Witness Statement (scroll to bottom of page and download)

https://jophoenix.substack.com/p/phoenix-v-open-university?sd=pf

Thread 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4905118-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-2nd-october-whispers-ben-cooper?page=1

Thread 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4913946-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-2?page=1

Thread 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4917480-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-3

Thread 4 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4918479-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-4

Thread 5 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4919223-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-5

Thread 6 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4921308-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-6

Barristers go to the pub together all the time (ALL the time) but having been to the pub with barristers I can confirm they definitely don’t talk about their case!

BTW if you ever find yourself going to the pub with barristers, I advise you to gird your loins and steel your liver.

Yes exactly, it's why the new fangled 'bring your whole self to work' bollocks does my head in. It's a recipe for disaster.

Thanks for the explanation!

And I’ve just realised who I quoted 😂 of course you will know this already!

As this is a workplace* *grievance, I'd have assumed that complaints were about colleagues, but I suppose they could always be about management's failure to deal with or take seriously or support, too.

In this case I think the death threats are most likely to come from twitter or other social media.

I was in the room and I thought it was implicit several at the same time because she was talking about her workload at that time.

I've been wondering over the past couple of days whether JM will stick to the same tack she used in the beginning or whether she will go for something different, in light of the shambles of some of the witnesses and anticipating BC's line of argument. Will she address the perjury that some have committed? Make some comments about how reasonable it is not to remember ever little detail of events that happened years ago ...? I wonder how she sees the case. Despite being paid to argue one side, she's surely clever enough to see the huge holes in their evidence and the fact that they just didn't follow proper procedure. But I don't know anything about her - she could be another one who things such things are permissible because we're the Good Guys Folks and we have Right and Inclusion on our side.

What's the role call of barristers who have been on the gender ideology side of these cases, is anyone keeping track? I'm partly wondering whether anyone (except the one who was not responsible for the bundle mess, oh no, not at all) ever agrees to do that twice.

No they are lay people but trained Briefly, both will have workplace experience. One from an employer/HR perspective. The other from a trade union perspective..

Cross posted with Critical sorry.

I wonder how many academic papers in the emergent field of zemiology this ET will spawn?

I think the edit facility might only be active for a certain time eg 15 - 20 minutes.

I've replied to your pm @chilling19

Those railing must be in a terrible state.

I'm pleased I'm not the caretaker at the OU - there must have been some mopping up to do this week.

I agree.

The only thing that ever got people moving with any degree of urgency when I worked at a uni was if the spoons had all disappeared from the department break room.

Then a very snotty e-mail would be sent to everyone on campus from the Vice-Chancellor down (Chancellor presumably couldn't be disturbed in networking activities on the golf course) to bring them back and wash them!

There was an individual whose entire job seemed to be devoted to the noble task. She was called "The Spoon Police" by the rest of us.

When one of y colleagues escaped left for pastures new she bought about 4 dozen cheap teaspoons, and tied them altogether on a string and stapled the string to the notice board with a thank you card addressed to the "Spoon Police".

She was someone I had never much liked, but when I saw that I realised that I should have got to know her better.

We could have been such friends.

Thanks everyone for keeping us all going today.

Jo's now reached £228,360 of stretched target. What a buzz hey?

Here's a few heart warming messages from recent gardeners over in the Garden Centre.

As I am going through something very similar at my workplace, your fight is more relevant and important than ever. Did this craziness take hold in academia first? Yes or no, it needs to be fought on every front. Stay strong and we all await the inevitable positive outcome for you and us.

You are nearly through the clouds + the bright blue yonder awaits, stay strong.

Pity the OU finances didn't run to tambourines, otherwise we could have had that repeated.

That's the one. Everyone should see it.

The loonies stole his sign!!!

Bloody hell. I’ve caught up with the thread but not TT which I find takes more digesting. But even without the transcript in full I feel I’ve missed a mammoth day.

I think the kids have a tambourine. I can donate it to the OU *hopeful

With regard to the importance of missing spoons in academic I once worked in a department where one of the professors became so incensed by the loss of spoons she wrote a fake academic paper about it and circulated it to everyone

Answering my own question partially, as an excuse to note that I do know how to spell "roll" as in "roll call":
Maya Forstater appeal: Olivia Dobbie
Allison Bailey case: Ijeoma Omambala QC, senior counsel - barrister for SW;
Andrew Hochhauser QC, senior counsel - barrister for GC
Jo Phoenix case: Jane Mulcahy KC, Counsel for Respondents

Other relevant cases? So far no repetitions. (I know, cab rank rule - but also, people clearly do specialise a bit, cf Ben, and I think that if a barrister had done one such case and ended up peaked by it, that would be reason enough for them not to take another, right? Admittedly there have been few enough cases and there are enough barristers that this is nowhere near conclusive... but at least, there's no equivalent of Ben on the other side.)

Nothing fake about this one - peer reviewed, notable journal, must be an important area of study. https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1498

Was that the "Teaspoons are the larval form of wire coat hangers" one?

I read that!

It was brilliant!